Louse-Borne Relapsing Fever Profile at Jimma Hospital, Ethiopia: a retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Louse-borne relapsing fever has been restricted to countries with poor socio economic status, the most important foci being Burundi, Rwanda and Ethiopia. Borrelia recurrentis is the etiologic agent for louse-borne relapsing fever and occurs as epidemic under conditions of overcrowding, poverty, draught and famine.
Objective: To assess the Louse-borne Relapsing Fever profile in Jimma Hospital and
suggest practical control measures to alleviate the disease burden of the community in the
region. Design: All RF cases recorded in Jimma hospital for the last five years (1997 to 2001)
were used to investigate the pattern of the diseases in relation to sex, coffee growing
seasons, and mortality rates. Methods: A total of 617 patients were included in the study from the hospital records. Results: The number of louse-borne relapsing fever cases recorded during the study period showed both sexes run the same level of risk of contracting the disease (p>0.05, n=5). On the other hand, the number of cases during the dry season was relatively higher than the wet season in the same year and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05, n=5). The observed seasonal variation in the number of cases appears to be mainly attributed to the coffee harvesting period coinciding to the dry season. The number of cases as well as mortality rate declined from 1997 to 2000 but a sudden increase in both parameters was observed in 2001. This may be attributed to the coffee price fall and the ensuing deterioration of living standards and personal hygiene among the rural communities. Conclusion: A notable increase in number of cases during the year 2001 as well as the sudden upsurge of the mortality rate to 6% may have been caused from the combined effects of poverty, misdiagnosis and late arrival of patients to hospitals. Poverty alleviation and provision of free of charge health care scheme should be instituted in the region to control the disease.

Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences Vol. 1 (1) 2005: pp. 596-64